BLOOD AND VOWS: THE MAFIA WRONG BRIDE

CHAPTER 1

THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE

CHIARA

What the

The water hit me like a fist. I didn't just wake up I drowned.

Gasping and choking, I scrambled upright as the freezing water flooded my nose and mouth, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.

Mum stood over me, the empty bucket swinging from her hand. "Get up; your sister is gone."

I pushed sopping hair from my eyes, swallowing the hurt like broken glass. "Gone?"

"She ran away last night." Her lip curled as she looked at me like I was a stain that had learned to speak. "Valentina left a note and climbed out her window. Your father is beside himself."

I forced my shaking legs over the edge of the bed. My nightgown clung to my skin, the morning cold biting deep as I stood. "Why would she run?"

She scowled. "That's not your concern. What matters is tonight there needs to be a bride, and you're the only one left."

Bride? Who's getting married?

"Your father made arrangements," she continued with an impatient voice. Your father owed him money, and Valentina was part of the deal. Now shes gone. She took a step closer, sizing me up with her eyes. "So you'll take her place."

Huh!?

My stomach dropped through the floor. "YoCu want me to marCry a stranger because Dad owes money?"

"I don't want anything; I'm telling you how it is. The papers have been signed, the dress has been fitted, and the ceremony is at four." She leaned in, close enough that I could see the fine lines around her mouth. "If you refuse, he'll kill us all. You included."

"Mum! I don't even know him!

"Lucien Moretti. His name should be enough.

The name didn't mean anything to me, but the look of terror on her face made my blood slow. My mother, who had never feared anything except a stain on her silk, was afraid? And she was handing me over anyway?

"What if he notices I'm not Valentina?"

Her hand cracked across my face before I saw it coming. The slap echoed off the bare walls, making me stumble sideways as I caught myself on the night stand. The only book I owned, my worn copy of Jane Eyre, clattered to the floor.

"Listen to me, you ungrateful nothing," she hissed. "I have fed you, clothed you, and kept a roof over your useless head for twenty-two years. You hide in here reading stupid novels while the rest of us live in the real world. You were always the useless twin; now you finally have a chance to be worth something. Don't you dare ruin it."

I pressed my palm to my burning cheek, numbness spreading through my limbs as the edges of the room blurred. I went quiet. I'd learned years ago that crying only made her crueler.

An hour later, Valentinas wedding dress clung to my skin.

I stood in front of the mirror while Mum adjusted the veil behind me with impatient hands. The girl staring back at me didnt feel real.

The dress fit perfectly because it had been made for my sister. The lace hugged my body in all the right places, the satin waist tight against my ribs like it was trying to hold me together while I came apart inside.

I looked like Valentina. Or at least a pale imitation of her.

For one horrible second, I imagined Lucien Moretti seeing through me immediately. Dragging the veil off my head and realizing theyd given him the wrong daughter.

My breathing turned shallow.

Mum My voice cracked quietly. Please.

Her hands stilled.

I cant do this.

Something cold entered her expression. Yes, you can.

Ill tell him the truth.

Her fingers dug painfully into my shoulder. And then what? she snapped. You think a man like that forgives humiliation? Hell rip out your skin from your flesh and make you watch while he feeds it to his dogs.

Fear slithered down my spine as I looked back at the mirror again. All I saw was the stranger wearing my sisters face.

And slowly, something awful settled inside me. Nobody cared that I wasnt Valentina. As long as there was a bride standing at the altar, I was replaceable enough.

The realization hollowed me out.

An hour later, I was standing in a courthouse that smelled like old paper and disappointment.

A bored clerk stamped papers while a judge who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else muttered words I barely heard. My father stood beside me, reeking of whiskey, staring at the floor. My mother didn't even bother coming.

And my groom? Just as good as Avatar.

"He's not coming," I whispered.

"His representative will stand in," the judge said, nodding toward a man at the edge of the room. He was cold-eyed, wearing an expensive suit and no smile. He didn't even introduce himself; he just watched me sign with the detachment of someone observing a transaction.

I signed my sister's name. Valentina Rossi.

"Done." The judge closed his file. "Congratulations, Mrs. Moretti."

Mrs. Moretti tastes like ash on the tongue.

The cold-eyed man was already at the door. "The car is outside.

Without looking at me, my father turned and walked out of the courthouse. I picked up my book from the bench and followed the stranger outside. That was the only thing I'd grabbed when Mum dragged me from my room.

We drove for two hours until we drove into an estate that rose out of the darkness like a fortress. Iron gates, armed guards, and a stone mansion illuminating with cold light. I swallowed.

What kind of man needs armed guards at his home?

An elderly woman in black led me upstairs, unlocked a door, and gestured me inside. "Mr. Moretti was delayed; he will see you tomorrow. Wait here."

Wait" I turned. "Tomorrow? But the wedding"

"Was a formality." Her voice held no warmth. "Dinner is on the tray. I suggest you eat."

The lock clicked behind her.

I stood alone in the most beautiful prison I'd ever seen. There were silk sheets on the bed, a marble fireplace, windows overlooking a black lake, and a tray of food I couldn't imagine eating.

Hours crawled and I didn't sit. I just stood by the window, staring out.

Until suddenly, the door opened without a knock.

I spun, my hand flying to my throat as I stared at him. And beauty was the last thing I noticed.

He was tall with black hair that was swept back from a face carved out of stone. His shoulders filled the doorframe, and he had on a black suit cut to perfection. But it was his eyes that stopped my heart. It was the coldest kind of green I'd ever seen, simply winter distilled into a color.

I swallowed.

He closed the door without bothering to lock it. He didn't need to; his presence sealed the room.

I stumbled back instinctively, my hip hitting a flower vase as every nerve in my body screamed to run.

He tilted his head, studying me like a predator deciding whether to chase.

"You can hate me all you want, wife. It changes nothing."

His voice was low, smooth, and utterly without emotion. And it was the deepest ice ever heard.

He took a step closer, now close enough for me to smell cedar, cold air, and something metallic underneath.

Before I could blink, I heard the sharp sound of metal sliding against metal as Lucien raised the gun lazily and pointed it straight at my head, the tip touching my forehead.

Where are the drives?

CHAPTER 2

NO ESCAPE

The barrel was the coldest thing I've ever felt on my skin.

Is this how I die!?

His green eyes didn't blink, and the gun didn't waver either. My knees went liquid, and my lungs seized, but the only sound in the room was my own heartbeat trying to punch through its ribs.

"Where are the drives?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Just a strangled breath that tasted like fear.

"II don't know what you're talking about."

The silence stretched so long I felt it pressing against my skull. He didn't react or move; he just stared at me with those frozen eyes. And I understood for the first time what it meant to be truly hunted.

"I don't like to repeat myself."

"I'm not" My voice cracked. "I swear, I don't know. Whatever you think I have, I don't have it."

Something flickered in his expression, and from the fear of having a gun to my head, I couldn't figure it out.

He lowered the gun slowly, tracing the muzzle down my cheek as the coldness bit into my skin before tilting my chin up with the tip.

"Do you take me for a fool?" He asked in a soft voice. "Do not make me scatter your ugly brain on my pretty walls."

Sweat gathered on my forehead as my heart nearly jumped out of my ribcage. He leaned closer, close enough for me to see the faint ring of gold around his pupils.

"Where are the drives?"

I was shaking so hard my teeth clattered. "I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about."

You don't know what I'm talking about, but you're shaking?

I have a gun pointed to my head, Einstein.

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Oh God.

His eyes grew darker as he held my gaze. I thought I was gone. But he holstered the gun in one motion and tucked it away.

"Everyone breaks eventually, wife. You will too."

He turned and walked to the door without looking back. "Get comfortable. Tomorrow, we will try again. And let me warn you I am not a patient man."

When the door closed behind him, my legs gave out. I collapsed onto the cold marble floor as my whole body convulsed with the effort of holding myself together.

That night, sleep eluded me. Four words kept resounding in my head.

I need to leave.

By morning I was forced into another dress by that maid and given just bread and water on a tray.

As the hours crawled, I paced. I stared at the windows before testing the door handle twenty times.

Of course it was locked.

By evening, the lock turned against it, and this time a younger maid stepped in with a tray. She set down a tray and turned to leave without meeting my eyes.

"Wait" My voice came out cracked, quickly taking advantage of my position. "Please, the dress zipper is stuck. I can't breathe; just help me. Please."

She hesitated as she glanced at the door. Then pity flickered in her gaze as she moved closer to me. The moment her back was turned, I slammed the bathroom door between us and locked it.

"Hey!"

I was already out. Bare feet padding desperately on the cold marble floor. I wrenched open the main door and stopped dead. Two guards stood right outside.

I froze her for half a heartbeat as the guard's dead stare bore holes into my skull. Without waiting for another reaction, I stumbled back and turned around immediately.

One of them spoke into a radio on his wrist. "She's out."

I ran anyway, bolting down the hallway in the opposite direction. I made a left turn a dead end. I skidded on the marble, bare feet sliding, as I threw myself right. My legs skidded down the staircase, my lungs on fire.

I rounded a corner and walked straight into a chest.

I fell hard on my ass, pain shooting through my spine. I looked up to see the person I was trying to escape.

And on his face was a very bored expression.

Leaning a bit, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up roughly. I thrashed against his grip, but his hands didn't budge. They were iron wrapped in skin, and the more I struggled, the tighter they got.

"Let me go!"

"No."

He pulled me closer, tilting his head as he studied my face.

"I'm going to ask you a question," he said in a very calm voice, "and I want you to think very carefully before you answer."

I stopped struggling, breathing heavily.

"Where were you going?"

My lips remained sealed, making his jaw tighten. But his grip also tightened along with it, making me wince.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"I" My voice came out as a plea. "I just wanted air. I can't breathe in that room."

"You can't breathe." He repeated the words like they sounded stupid, raising one of his brows. "Let me make something clear to you, wife. You were never brought here to be comfortable. You are collateral, and collateral can get damaged."

His hand moved to my jaw, digging his fingers into it.

"Run again," he murmured, "and I'll stop being patient."

"Patient?" The word burst out before I could stop it. "You pointed a gun at my head and threatened my life."

"And you're still alive." His thumb pressed lightly against my chin. "That was me being patient."

I stared up at him with stubbornness and fear in my eyes as he turned around.

"Take her back," he said to the guards. "Double the watch outside her door and bring me the maid."

My blood went cold. "Nopleaseshe didn't do anything wrong. I tricked her. It was me. Please don't hurt her."

Lucien paused, turning back to me. I could see mockery dancing behind his eyes.

"You beg for a stranger," he said. "But not for yourself? How foolish."

He stared at me, his eyes searching mine for a long moment. Then he turned around.

"Lock her in without food or water till I say otherwise. Maybe hunger will loosen her tongue."

What!?

As the guards dragged me back down the hallway, I twisted violently in their grip, panic clawing up my throat while Lucien watched without expression.

When I got back to my room, the last tray of food was gone.

Before my chest could cave, the shrill sound of a females scream pierced the doors and into my ears.

Pleading for mercy.

CHAPTER 3

THE PRICE OF DEFIANCE

The silence after her scream was worse than the scream itself.

I pressed my forehead against the cold marble floor as I curled myself into it. Until eventually, my mind became exhausted and my body shut off.

The lock turned what felt like years later.

The housekeeper stood in the doorway, her black dress swallowing the light. She looked at me with a blank look like I was nothing more than a chore.

"Mr. Moretti will see you now."

Two guards appeared behind her, seized my arms, and hauled me upright. My legs buckled immediately as pins and needles shot through my feet, knees, and thighs.

They dragged me down the hallway, my heels scraping against the marble.

Focus and breath, Chiara. Survive this.

Stopping in front of a food made with dark wood panels and painted with faded frescoes, they knocked thrice before dragging me in.

Lucien sat behind his massive desk, the orange light from the fire in the grate casting shadows across his face. He didn't look up when they set me on the floor directly opposite his desk. He just kept signing whatever he was signing.

I barely cared. All I could care about was my throat.

My throat was so dry. I couldn't swallow, and my tongue felt too big for my mouth. I'd never been this thirsty in my life. The hunger was bad, but the thirst was madness. It hollowed out my thoughts and filled them with images of water.

Then Lucien reached to his right and picked up a glass of water. The condensation beaded on the crystal as he set it down on the table between us.

"Thirsty?"

His voice was gentle and almost kind. I couldn't say a word; my eyes were locked on the water like it was the face of God.

He pushed the glass an inch closer, taunting me with it. Unable to hold back, I used my last bit of strength to push myself up, scrambling for the cup. But the guards held me back.

"Tell me where the drives are, and you can drink. Even eat and sleep in a real bed with real sheets."

I stared at the glass; my hands were trembling in my lap.

One sip I need just one sip.

I could almost feel the cold liquid sliding down my throat. But I didn't know where the drives were. I don't even know what they are.

So I did the only thing I could think of.

I lied.

"My father," I rasped, the sound of my own voice scaring me. "He keeps things in a safe in his study. Behind the painting of my mother. "I forced myself to keep going. "I don't know the combination, but whatever you're looking for... it's probably there."

Silence deafened the room.

"Look at me."

I couldn't raise my head for fear of being found out.

"Raise your head."

Sensing the impatience, I raised my head. His green eyes peered into my face.

"Interesting," he murmured before picking up the glass of water, lifting it to his own lips, and drinking slowly, never breaking eye contact.

No!

I watched the water disappear down his throat, following the movement of his throat.

He set the glass down. "Take her back."

"No." I lurched forward without meaning to, but I was held back. "I told you something, please."

"You told me what you thought I wanted to hear." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I don't like being played, Wife. One more day without food and maybe then you'll understand the cost of wasting my time."

The guards grabbed my arms, dragging me away just the same way I was dragged in.

Two days without food. My body was breaking down, and my mind wasn't far behind.

After the third night of starvation, I knew I just couldn't sit still and wait for my death.

I dragged my body to the sealed window, inspecting it. Thankfully, the seal was old, so when I pressed my weight against the frame and pounded, it groaned.

Move! Move! Damn you.

It gave way.

Cold night air hit my face, giving me hope. The drop was maybe ten feet, but I climbed through without thinking. My bare feet hit frozen earth, and my knees nearly buckled, but I forced them to run.

My legs moved despite my lungs begging to give out. When the tree lines appeared in my sight, I stretched out my hand

And arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

"No!"

I screamed, throwing my weight and clawing at the arms holding me. More guards melted out of the shadows I'd thought were empty.

They dragged me back toward the terrace, and Lucien Moretti was standing at the top of the stone steps, arms crossed over his chest.

And on his face this time wasn't boredom, but It was interesting.

"Bring her here.

His head tilted slightly as they hauled me up the steps and shoved me forward onto the cold stone.

I caught myself on my hands and knees, trembling from starvation. I looked up at him through the tangled mess of my hair.

He crouched down until his face was level with mine.

"Most women break by now," he murmured. "They cry, plead, and offer me everything they have." His head tilted the other way. "But you... you keep running."

He reached out, making me flinch. His fingers brushed the hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear with a gentleness that made my skin crawl.

"Either you're very brave," he said softly, "or very stupid."

"Maybe both."

The words came out as a whisper, my eyes dropping with tiredness. And something flickered in his eyes something that looked like possession.

He stood, nodding to the guards.

"Transfer her to the first floor on the east wing. Seal the windows. If she escapes again, I'll hold every guard on duty personally responsible."

He paused, looking down at me one last time, and his voice dropped so low only I could hear it.

"Run again, wife... and I'll chain you to my bed myself and fuck the defiance out of you."

CHAPTER 4

IM NOT HER.

The new room was smaller I realized it the moment I opened my eyes.

It had a smaller bed, a smaller fireplace, and smaller walls closing tighter around me, like the house itself had grown tired of my attempts to escape.

And oh the windows no longer opened.

I stood in front of them anyway, my fingertips pressing uselessly against the cold glass while the lake stretched endlessly beyond it.

My reflection stared back faintly at me through the window. Pale skin, hollow eyes, tangled dark hair I barely looked human anymore.

Only three days inside this house, and already it felt like pieces of me were disappearing quietly into the walls.

Everything here ran with terrifying precision.

Breakfast arrived at eight, lunch at one, and dinner at seven. The guards rotated every four hours, and every night, just before midnight, footsteps stopped outside my door and remained there for exactly thirty seconds before walking away again.

At some point, I started counting everything because routine was the only thing keeping the panic from swallowing me whole.

The maid arrived that evening balancing a tray in trembling hands. She couldnt have been much older than me.

Placing the tray down quickly, she immediately turned for the door.

Wait.

The word escaped before I could stop it, making her freeze. My heart thumped heavily against my chest as I reached beneath the mattress and pulled out the diamond earrings from my wedding dress.

The only valuable thing I had left.

I just need help getting out, I whispered, stepping closer carefully. Please.

Her eyes widened immediately. No.

Ill give you these. My fingers shook slightly as I held the earrings out toward her. Just tell me which exit has the fewest guards.

For one terrible second, hesitation crossed her face, and hope bloomed in my chest. Then fear replaced it just as quickly.

You shouldnt have asked me that, she whispered.

The door opened behind her, and Lucien was standing there. I didn't even hear footsteps.

The maid went pale instantly. She lowered her head and rushed past him so quickly she nearly tripped over herself trying to leave.

Silence filled the room as my fingers tightened instinctively around the earrings.

Luciens eyes dropped to them first, then slowly lifted to mine, his soft voice ringing in my ears.

You tried bribing my staff.

I swallowed hard and forced myself not to step back. I just wanted to leave.

"It's clear now. You're just stupid.

How the hell can he be so calm with these words!?

His tone ticked me off. Im not your prisoner.

His eyebrow lifted slightly. No? he asked softly. Then what do you think you are?

Something in my chest tightened, hating the way he looked at me. I started backing away without realizing it until my shoulders hit the wall.

Lucien kept walking toward me slowly, his polished shoes silent against the marble floor. Fear crawled higher into my throat with every inch he closed between us.

I dont belong here, I whispered.

No, he agreed quietly. You dont.

Before I could understand what he meant, his hand wrapped suddenly around my throat. I gasped sharply even though he held me with just enough to pin me against the wall and remind me exactly how easily he could.

My hands flew instinctively to his wrist, fingers digging against the fabric of his shirt while my pulse spiraled wildly beneath his palm.

Listen carefully, he murmured. You have no allies here.

My breathing turned uneven as his thumb shifted slightly against my throat. The movement sent something hot and terrifying through my stomach.

Hanging between the prey and death doors, I noticed him.

Fuck!!

The clean scent of cedar and expensive cologne wafted through my nostrils as my eyes picked the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw and the scar near the corner of his mouth.

And his eyes they looked even greener up close.

You understand? he asked quietly.

I couldn't answer immediately because my eyes chose that time to drop traitorously to his lips.

His grip tightened slightly, his gaze darkening almost imperceptibly before dropping to my lips for the briefest second.

What the hell was wrong with me!!??

This man is a devil in human skin! Why is my heart beating like this!?

Luciens thumb brushed once against the side of my throat before he stepped back abruptly. Cold air rushed between us again as I dragged in a shaky breath.

He stared at me for a long moment before turning toward the dinner tray near the fireplace.

You should eat.

I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, trying to steady my breathing. You came to threaten me some more?

Instead of answering, he pulled out one of the chairs at the table and sat down with a calm, terrifying composure.

What are the drives? I asked suddenly.

For the first time since meeting him, Lucien went completely still.

You dont know? he asked quietly.

If I knew, I wouldve told you already.

His eyes searched my face carefully enough to make my stomach tighten.

People lie when theyre afraid.

And people point guns at strangers when theyre insane.

His gaze hardened. What did you say!?

I clamped my mouth shut, rolling my tongue to the back of my throat. Silence settled heavily between us before he shifted his gaze towards the worn copy of Jane Eyre sitting near the bed.

You read often.

Yeah.

His eyebrows dipped and something uneasy twisted in my stomach.

The reports described you differently.

Cild slid down my spine. Oh God

What reports?

I don't let anyone come into my estate without doing my homework on them. And my homework told me you were rather wild.

Valentina.

Panic rose so violently inside me I thought he might actually hear it, but I forced my expression to remain neutral.

What if they exaggerated? I asked carefully. Maybe they didnt know me well.

Lucien didnt answer; he just kept staring at me like he was studying me piece by piece.

Then slowly, he stood from the chair and walked toward me again. My heartbeat stumbled painfully as I watched him stop directly in front of me.

His eyes moved slowly across my face like he was finally seeing something clearly for the first time.

And when he spoke, his voice was almost quiet.

Youre not Valentina.

CHAPTER 5

WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

"You're not Valentina."

At first, my mind refused to register what he just said.

It didn't feel like a sentence meant for me. It just hung in the air between us while my heartbeat turned erratic inside my chest.

Lucien stood watching me like he was waiting for reality to catch up with his conclusion. His expression hadn't changed, but something in the room had shifted. The air felt thinner.

I tried to laugh, but it came out forced and hollow. "That's impossible. I am Valentina."

Even as the words left my mouth, I didn't believe it myself.

Lucien's eyes didn't change; they stayed fixed on me with unsettling precision.

"I don't work with assumptions," he said quietly. "I work with facts and patterns. And you don't match any of hers."

My throat tightened until it hurt to swallow. "You're wrong."

He tilted his head slightly as if listening to something I couldn't hear.

"Valentina Rossi is loud even when she's silent. She reacts before she thinks and takes up space without trying." His gaze moved slowly across my face, deliberate and dissecting. "You don't."

The words pressed into me heavier than if he had raised his voice. My fingers curled into the fabric of my dress, knuckles going white.

"You're basing this on personality?" My voice cracked on the last word. "That's ridiculous. People change under pressure."

With a scoff, he turned away from me and walked towards the fireplace. I tried to breathe and get my thoughts under control.

He turned to me, his expression completely dead. Who the fuck are you?

Before I could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway, and the door opened without a knock.

The same man from the courthouse stepped insidethe one who stood in for Lucien during the wedding ceremony. He was in casual clothing, but he still had the same detachment in his gaze. Though it flickered the moment he noticed the tension in the room.

He paused mid-step.

"Boss," he said carefully.

Lucien's gaze didn't leave mine. "Not now."

"Theres an update about the shipment coming in today.

Lucien slowly turned his head, not fully, but enough for the man to feel the weight of his attention.

"You came here," Lucien said softly, "to tell me something I did not ask for."

The man stiffened, gnashing his jaw. "Boss. It's important."

There was a short silence before Lucien turned fully. And when he spoke again, his voice was dead flat.

"Leave."

The man hesitated. "Boss, I think"

Lucien stepped forward just once, and that was all it took. He stopped speaking mid-breath, his jaw clamping shut like a door slamming.

"I will give you one chance to walk out of here," Lucien said, "before I decide you are no longer useful."

The man swallowed hard enough that I saw his throat bob, and my head turned back to Lucien with more refined horror.

Who the hell is this man!?

"I'll wait outside."

The door closed with a soft click, and the room felt sealed again.

Lucien stood still for a long moment, his back to me. Then he turned, and whatever space had existed between confusion and certainty was gone now. There was only determination left in his eyes.

I couldn't even last more than four days!!!!

"You're not Valentina," he said again.

My mouth went dry instantly. "I am," I defended a bit too quickly, noticing that he hadn't blinked in seconds.

Instinctively, I took another step back.

He came closer without rushing, and I found myself retreating until there was nowhere left to go.

"You answer too carefully," he said quietly. "Too careful for someone who should be comfortable in her own skin."

My body refused to move, but inside, everything was collapsing at once, like my thoughts were slipping out of reach of my own control.

I couldn't breathe.

"I know the eyes of someone waiting to be caught," he continued.

I stepped back without thinking. My spine hit the wall with a dull thud, and my body betrayed me by freezing there. I was pinned between the cold stone and his advancing silhouette.

Lucien stopped directly in front of me. Close enough for me to feel the heat radiating off him without him touching me.

Again, my gaze dropped to his lips.

"Tell me who sent you," he said.

My heart dropped so violently I felt it in my stomach. "No one," I whispered.

He peered into my eyes for seconds, somehow driving the fear back, replacing it with something else. A confusing pull in my chest that made me hate how aware I was of him standing that close.

Before I could blink, his hand moved inside his jacket.

My entire body reacted before my mind could catch up. My muscles locked, lungs seized, and a cold rush of adrenaline flooded my veins.

He pulled out the gun casually, and everything went still.

My breath disappeared completely. I didn't just hold it; it left me.

Lucien lifted the gun without hesitation in his movement. There was just the quiet, terrifying alignment of the barrel and target.

He stepped back from me, turning around and walking casually a few feet away from me like he was trying to keep himself away from killing me immediately.

Then he spun swiftly, the barrel pointed directly at my forehead.

And suddenly there was nothing else in the world except that black circle of certainty and the man holding it.

"Last chance," he said softly.

My lips parted but nothing came out. My body locked in place, but inside it felt like everything was breaking apart at once, thoughts slipping out of reach, like I couldnt hold onto myself anymore.

Lucien's gaze stayed on mine, his finger tightening on the trigger.

The moment stretched strangely, and I felt my mind separate from my body as the gun rose and everything else stopped mattering except the fact that I was about to die.

The moment before the shot became the only thing in the world that existed.